Elliere Braim

0.1 What Used To Be

Elliere cracked his knuckles, creating loud clicks to echo into the night. His eye, the one not covered by an eye patch, flicked up to the cloudy, moon-filled sky and then raked over the parking lot of the bar he was at while he leaned against the side of The Wolf's Den. Ironic name, yes, but he was the only wolf ever here. He surveyed the glittering cars of all shapes, sizes and models and makes while his ears listened in to the sound of rowdy, drunken humans inside the bar.

Most Lupus wouldn't be out here, you know... They'd be with a pack, a family.
Elliere snorted at his thoughts and quickly pulled out a tobacco filled stick of death. He placed the stick carefully between his lips and fished out a lighter from his pocket. He had just flicked the lighter to ignite a bright flame and began lifting it to light the stick when the slam of the bar door and a round of loud drunks stumbled out. He paused for a second, wincing slightly at the scent of pure beer oozing from their pores and then once again flicked the lighter and lit the stick. The very tip glowed orange, he admired as he sucked the smoke into his lungs and pulled the cigarette from his lips.

His ears burned from the loud, stumbling drunks, but they didn't bother him. They usually never did, not anymore. Once upon a time though, they had bothered him. A great deal and it was their mistake. He grinned at the thought, releasing a swirling cloud of smoke into the cool air. This was what he did for the most part -- go to bars, travel around, get drunk, but there was a time when even Elliere, the Lone Wolf, had a family to call his own.

**

Elliere's young heart was racing as he flew over the earthen ground, flecks of dirt flying up and making an older wolf behind him growl in irritation. But he couldn't be bothered, this was his second pack hunt, his second time eating raw and he was incredibly happy. Everyone could practically feel him vibrating with happiness in his Lupus form and Elliere knew they couldn't remain unhappy with him, not when he was like this.

His pack was larger than most, consisting of his parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, a brother, a sister, a cousin and friends of his parents. They were over twenty strong and yet they had never been more loving. It was a perfect pack really and Elliere had never been more happy to grow up here with them. He planned to take over the family when he was old enough and his father had even said so. It was something he was looking forward to, but right now, he was happy just hunting.

A flash of scolding emotion from his father had him settling down a bit, but when he spotted the deer in a dip in the forest, his excitement burst back up to the forefront of his mind. He shot forward as far as his mother and eagerly wanted to sink his teeth into the warm hide of deer. It made his mouth water and the urge to feast became overwhelming. The only thing that kept him from racing down to tackle his own deer was his father and the knowledge that he was just too young still.

His father scoped the area and settled on a buck with a limp. A weaker deer, one that was easy to catch and with a blaring howl the whole pack surged forward to claim their kill. It was exhilarating to Elliere-- the little chase, the scent of the deer's fear, and most importantly the kill followed by the feast. It was a learning experience, a lesson and bonding time all rolled into one. It was perfect to him and despite it's utter savagery, he felt connected and loved while on pack hunts more than any other time in the pack.

It would always be Elliere's favorite thing to do with the pack and the one thing he'd always miss because he'd never have a pack again. And it was all thanks to that one day.

**

With a jerk and a hiss, Elliere popped out of his memories as the smell of his own flesh burning caught in his nose. He glanced down with narrowed eyes, though one only saw the damage, to see in his reminiscing he had managed to drop the cigarette from his mouth onto his hand. With a sigh, he shook the sting from his skin and rubbed his nose to get rid of the burnt flesh smell. He decided he didn't want to think anymore tonight under the moon and preferred the smelly, human-filled bar as he slid inside to order three full bottles of rum.

He planned on drinking until he couldn't remember his name, let alone his memories-- much the way he liked it.